A Nice Family Dinner
by melanie39
Summary: Written for The OC Season Two Missing Scene fic challenge. This is the dinner party we never saw, from The Family Ties.


Written for the OCS2 Missing Scene Challenge. This is the dinner party we never saw during The Family Ties. Many thanks to my beta Loracj.

**ANice**** Family Dinner**

"So Lindsay, tell me. How come you transferred to Harbor this year?" Sandy had decided that it was up to him to keep the conversation at dinner on neutral ground. He glanced over at his family. Seth sat with a mild smirk across his face and could not be trusted not to say something inappropriate, Ryan looked like he was being forced to eat a meal cooked by Kirsten, and Kirsten herself was blissfully unaware of the discomfort she was causing her probable sister and almost son. Yes, he was the only one capable of the job.

Lindsay put her fork down politely and looked at Sandy. "My mom, really. She wasn't happy with the academic standard at the public school I was at. She'd always wanted me to go to Harbor." Lindsay shrugged. "She just wants the best for me, I guess. And a scholarship came up for part of the fees. I was lucky enough to get it, and Mom managed to pay the rest."

Kirsten flushed, her face registering frustration. She'd guessed that money was not overabundant in the Gardner household, but it hurt to think that her own father hadn't helped Renee out with his own daughter's schooling. She looked across to Lindsay apologetically.

"Lindsay, I'm so sorry. I had hoped that at least my dad would have been generous to your mother financially. I'm assuming from what you say that isn't the case."

"Oh I didn't mean…" Lindsay blushed, embarrassed. She realized her comments were an indirect criticism of Caleb. She tried to make amends.

"My mom is very independent. I don't know what sort of arrangement she and Mr Nichol had…" She hesitated, "have. But I'm pretty sure she would only have taken what she felt was absolutely necessary. "

"Not like some people we know!" sniggered Seth under his breath.

"Seth!" Kirsten shot him a warning look. Julie Cooper Nichol may not be the perfect wife or mother, but she was still her friend. It wasn't right to bad mouth her in front of Lindsay, who was still, as far as her family was concerned, a relative stranger.

Seth took the hint and refrained from further comment. He picked up the bowl of sweet corn and offered it to their guest in an effort to break the awkward silence that had descended over the dinner table as quickly as a Newport Beach sea mist.

Lindsay took the bowl from Seth, smiling her thanks for the distraction. Kirsten made another attempt to keep the conversation light hearted.

"You know, Lindsay, it was amazing. Seth got out some of our old family photo albums this morning. There were pictures of me in there at about your age. We couldn't get over the likeness, could we boys?"

She looked expectantly at Seth and Ryan, just missing the sideways glance Ryan gave Sandy. From the silent chuckle he received in return, it was clear that Sandy was unlikely to come to his rescue.

Seth launched in to answer his mother's question. He turned to his friend grinning.

"No we couldn't, could we, Ryan! Still, Lindsay, I guess we shouldn't be surprised. After all, you _are_ technically my aunt, or should I say "_our_ aunt" 'cos, you know, Ryan is part of our family too….just, you know, without the genetics…" He waved his hands dismissively.

If Lindsay had had slightly longer legs she would have gladly put her childhood ballet training to good use and administered a quick high flung kick to the part of Seth that would hurt the most. Clearly he was enjoying their predicament a little too much.

Kirsten glanced at Ryan, misreading his expression as he scowled at Seth. The last thing they needed with Lindsay's entry into the family was Ryan feeling insecure. He'd been doing so well this year, settled in school, appearing to accept that the Cohens would always treat him as they did Seth. She didn't want him to feel pushed out.

"Genetics or not, Ryan is as much a part of this family as anyone else." She looked over and smiled at her foster son. He smiled back at her sheepishly. Even if on this occasion she'd gotten the wrong end of the stick, he always appreciated her attempts to make him feel part of the family.

Kirsten leaned back in her chair and took a sip of her wine.

"Anyway, like I said to these two this morning, you're all so close in age you're more like a sister than an aunt."

Ryan lowered his head and turned his uneaten vegetables over with his fork. He was beginning to feel a little nauseous. How much longer was this torment going to last? What the hell had Lindsay been thinking agreeing to come back for dinner?

"Seth always wanted a sister didn't you, Seth! Thought it would help him meet girls!" Sandy mocked. A trace of a smile appeared on Ryan's lips.

"Dad!" Seth retorted, rolling his eyes ostentatiously.

"What!" Sandy's eyebrows rose self righteously. "You were always pestering us for a baby sister!"

"Yeah, and then you brought Ryan home!"

Ryan gave Seth the Atwood glare of doom.

"So you're saying I'm your baby sister?

"No dude, but now that I think of it, you have helped me meet girls, for which I am eternally grateful. And you know, you did help me avoid all that diaper changing…."

Lindsay snickered at Seth's last comment. Kirsten rolled her eyes. "You just wait, Seth. A few years from now.." she began threateningly, and then she suddenly thought better of it, realizing with a shudder that she was not ready even to _think_ about one day being a Grandma.

Sandy took pity on Ryan and Lindsay as he took in the untouched food on their plates. He switched the topic back to school.

"So, which AP classes are you taking, Lindsay? I'm guessing you're hoping to go to college…"

"Yeah, I just hope I get the grades to get into a decent school. The competition is so fierce these days. I'm taking advance math and physics. I'd like to be an architect."

"Oh right," Kirsten nodded. "That's how you guys met, wasn't it?" She looked questioningly at Ryan. Ryan shot an amused glance at Lindsay. "Uh, kind of, yeah."

"Actually I think they met over a cup of iced coffee isn't that right Ryan?" Seth laughed. Ryan flushed at the memory of Lindsay's wet shirt and the tampon incident.

"Well," Kirsten continued, "I think you're both lucky to have each other as lab partners. Judging from Ryan's grades, you seem to work well as a team."

Sandy winked at Ryan as he reached over for the bottle of Chardonnay. Ryan swallowed hard and turned back to Kirsten. "Um, yeah, we work pretty well together…"

"Yeah, they _should_ get good grades!" Seth smirked, momentarily forgetting himself as he helped himself to another tuna steak. Three pairs of accusatory eyes looked at him. He shrugged and waved the tongs in the air. "You know, on account of how much study time they put in," he finished lamely and proceeded to focus very hard on the fish on his plate and thus avoid the daggers shooting in his direction.

"You'd do as well to take a leaf out of Ryan's book, Seth." Kirsten warned. "If you spent more time focusing on your studies instead of mooning over that new girlfriend of yours, maybe your grades would be as good as Ryan's."

Kirsten glanced across at Lindsay as she finished speaking. The girl looked distinctly uncomfortable. She patted her hand reassuringly. "Lindsay, I'm sure you are much better at balancing a social life and schoolwork. Seth does have a tendency to get a little obsessive!"

Kirsten ignored Seth's indignant protests and turned back to the girl beside her.

"So Lindsay," she smiled benignly, "do you have any special boy in your life?"

The End


End file.
